Personally speaking I was against the ban. The problem with the ban was that it wasn't a ban at all. Not a single fox has been saved by the halfway house that was eventually reached. It was a pathetic piece of legislation which took several times more parliamentary debating time than the decision to go to war. It's a strange world...

the 'toffs' are vilified for using hounds to allegedly 'tear the fox apart' which is the lilly-livered lefty liberal way of stating that as soon as the hound gets its prey, it is almost instantly killed, it does not feel the pain of being 'torn apart' as if the hounds were subjecting their catch to hours of torture

unlike the working class, animal-friendly way of catching a fish by skewering it through the mouth with a barbed hook and then walloping it over the head with a wooden kosh

and fish aren't even responsible for costing farmers a great deal of money through lost livestock at the hands of cutie pie Mr. Foxy Woxy

To say it has nothing to do with racing isn't strictly true - to qualify for the Foxhunter races, for example, requires participation in Point to Point races and Hunter Chases which are organised by the local Hunts. Point to Point and Hunter Chase horses need to have completed at least 4 days hunting in order to qualify.

Specky - without wanting to sound like a stuck record, you could argue the same thing about the government who devoted more debating time to the unworkable hunting ban than they did to sending the country to war. Political priorities are a very strange thing.

while i'm at it, we must appreciate the semantics used to describe these activities. they are 'field sports' or 'game sports', not the same as sports such as a game of football which is (supposed to be anyway!) a even contest.

field sports are 'not fair' because it is unlikely the trout has surrounded the lake with IED's or the pheasant is going to be armed the to teeth with a kalashnikov, although i get the impression many posters would prefer this contest if it meant hurting the beastly toffs

the situation is that the fox is trying to survie like animals do and because the farmer cant keep their crops safe from them its a good enough excuse to kill them.

the fox is outnumbered and chesed by somthing bigger stronger and deadlier and it gets me wound up,

i dont lose my temper easy (like a norrow minded thug etc)(that you have instantly labled me as) but this is a subject a feel strongly about and if someone tried to justify it to my face and then called me 'sweetheart' i would without doubt lose my temper.

I hunt. My wife hunts. My children have hunted from the age of 10. We are all members of the local hunt.

My work and hobby and passion is horses. Braking and schooling eventers in the main.
The work is hard but very rewarding. Part of that work is hunting, cross country.

The killing of the fox IS NOT why most people hunt. The enjoyment is the horsemanship. Working with your horse. It knowing your limitations and you knowing its.

I can only speak for this country but our hunt is made up of Farmers mostly or people who love horses.

I am not "scum of the earth"

It seems most people who are against fox hunting are not thinking about the welfare of Mr. Fox. Indeed no. They are showing their hatred and jealousy of other peoples life styles.
Which unfortunately is par for the society you live in.

Interesting debate this, I can't understand why people think it's ok to kill any living creature for sport. It indicates a severe mental issue if you actually enjoy the thought of something being killed. Football hooliganism now thats for real men.

'It seems most people who are against fox hunting are not thinking about the welfare of Mr. Fox. Indeed no. They are showing their hatred and jealousy of other peoples life styles'
Which unfortunately is par for the society you live in.

see the part where you say 'hatred ad jealousy of other poepls lifestyles'

A couple of points.
Twente....Read again what I wrote. "Most people" I did not single you out.
If you read the posts on this thread you can see that a hatred of other people is the main point that comes across. Not the welfare of the fox.

The point I made about drag hunting in regard to the hounds losing the scent stands. If the hounds can`t follow a scent the horses have nothing to follow. Not rocket science is it?

My wife and youngest son have rode over fences at Punchestown.

Fox hunting allows myself to get horses ready for the Eventing season.
With lambing season starting farmers invite us to hunt their land for the fox. This in turn puts fitness on the horse whilst helping the farmer.

sorry LeitrimBoro but i would be pretty sure that EVERONE who dissagrees with fox hunting does so for the love of the animal not because of anger or jealousy for the upper class. you have not come back with a good enough answer on that one im afraid

using the 'most people' bit to deffend your comment has no credit either.

Leitrim is right though, people opposing hunting dont care about the fox - its because someone does something they dont understand so they are scared and therefore prudish about it. A bit like sex games invloving urine.

As much as I detest fox hunting the notion that most farmers are loaded is far from true.

Your point about keeping numbers in check is valid though. The biggest check on fox population by far is the motor car and as far as I'm aware since the ban foxes have not carried out their threat of taking control of the British countryside by force.

It is not my lack of knowledge of the country or the fact I'm a prude in the face of watersports!
I just don't see any positive attribute to such a barbaric activity. Hunts never kept a cap on the Fox population, there is only one reason people want to hunt. I don't even believe it is for pleasure, the thrill of the chase can be replicated, the horse and dogs can get excercise in other ways and I jsut don't believe an adult would want to see a fox torn apart? People want to hunt because they always have and it's a tradition. Is this a good enough reason? Society has evolved past gladiatorial combat, cock fights, bear baiting and most other gruesome and cruel pass times. Is it unreasonable to think that on a weekend we could live without charging through the countryside with a pack of horses and a score of hounds, desperate to see a small mammal terrified, running for it's life and eventually torn to shreds?

its not really about worry, its not like they will become extinct, its about having compassion for an individual animal that tries to live its life naturally and has its life brought to a terrifying and horrible end because some nobhead wants to exercise their dogs and horses.

Kevlar wrote "How do you feel about your children watching an amazing animal being tore to pieces in what is one of the worst ways to be killed?"
My children helped me clean up the hen house after the fox had visited so they know first hand what the fox can do.
Twente..... Read the posts. People hate the "toffs" only kevlar has shown any thought to the fox.

He would have still been hungry in the begining. Not his fault his eyes are bigger than his belly, like when you order from the pizza shop and take the XXXXXX a bit. It's natural for a fox to kill a ckicken, and he does eat the chicken. If the hunts were having fox sandwiches for bait all week I could understand. And I hope you're not comparing the moral compass of a proud, erect, evolved homo-sapien to 'vermin'?

OK Officer I will give my statement.
Chickens outside.
Fox attacks.
Chickens panic, run for cover,
Go to hen house.
Other chickens still in hen house.
Fox enters.
Mayhem.
Is that all right for you. Lie detector test need to be taken. FFS

Ayresome, sorry to go back a few posts but, I know there are no Farms in Balham but there is one in Lambeth with Horses but thats irrelevant, if it;s an effective "Nay" (horse ref) the most effective way for people to get the fox population under controll then surely there shoudl be a Balham Hunt, regardless of the lack of farms???

I can see you now in your little red coat and bugle "toot tee toot tally ho chaps over that fence and into the estate I saw the Sacallywag go!!"

"Excuse me young man, sorry to interrupt your evening what, but wither went the Fox?"

I'll never agree with it, I believe it to be evil and an abhorent way to kill an animal. However you obviously feel different and will never change your feelings. Hope that fox gets away on sunday, and you fall on your arse and crush your cucumber sandwiches!
Good luck to you and yours.